Nov 4th, 2008
Netbooks and Linux: Getting it Done on the Go
Perhaps an outgrowth of Microsoft’s UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC–remember Origami?) movement, perhaps not, netbooks have hit the high tech ground running. Often powered by Intel’s low energy consuming but very decently performing Atom processor, netbooks have taken the mobile computing world by storm, led by the Asus eeePC series and the Acer Aspire One. Tiny machines that can run Windows, Linux, or other operating systems and often make great use of Web browsers and Web based applications (think GMail, Google Reader, Google Docs, and others), the incredible portability of the netbook as well as its very low cost is making heads turn everywhere.
As a Geek, I can tell you that the tiny Aspire One I have is a head turner; I get more questions about that than I get about any of my other gear. It’s the equivalent for Geeks that a motorcycle is on a college campus! Acer, one of the largest computer makers in the world, now has its Aspire One series offered at Wal*Mart and WalMart.com, at better prices than seen previously. Some of the models come with Linpus Linux and some with Windows XP; you can also, of course, install other versions of Linux, such as the previously mentioned Ubuntu Linux. For under $350, this is a great amount of portable computing power at a fantastic price–and you can take it just about anywhere! I can’t speak for everyone but portable computers have helped my productivity tremendously; if you’re like me, this might be a computer that can take you up even one more notch.
